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Saturday, September 10, 2016

The latest issue (October, 2016) of the Autism journal contains an interesting study of how parenting styles affect self-regulation skills in children with autism. The article compares a child's temperament and ability to self-regulate with the parents' style of discipline and of interacting with their child.

In the study, 40 children with autism were matched to 40 children without autism. The initial assessment of temperament and self-regulation in the children with autism compared to their peers. Not surprisingly:

Compared to their typically developing peers, children with autism spectrum disorder showed more noncompliance and less self-regulated compliance to parental demands and prohibitions and greater temperamental difficulties across several domains.

No differences in parental disciplinary styles were found in the parents of children who were better regulated as opposed to those who were not. But there was a difference in parent-child interaction styles. Parents of children who were better self-regulated were found to offer more support to their children and to request better attention from them.

The authors concluded:

Findings highlight the importance of parental supportive presence in structuring the development of socialization in children with autism spectrum disorder.